How to play percussive acoustic guitar

Get your rhythm right with this easy lesson

We’re tuning to DADGAD and taking a look at the body-bashing percussive styles of guitarists such as Jon Gomm, Andy Mckee and Newton Faulkner.

Percussive guitar has gained popularity in recent years thanks to hit albums from Newton Faulkner and the rise of players such as Andy McKee and Jon Gomm online. A mixture of bass notes, melodies and strikes on the acoustic guitar make percussive playing quite a challenge.

The idea is to think of your instrument as a drum kit and produce sounds that equate to kick drum, snare and hi-hat

The idea is to think of your instrument as a drum kit and produce sounds that equate to kick drum, snare and hi-hat by bashing the guitar body. Just take care not to damage your guitar. You have been warned!

There are no rules on how to produce these sounds - but keep efficiency of movement at the front of your mind. For our tab examples we’re playing kick and snare hits near the soundhole so your pick hand doesn’t move far; play the hihat with your fret hand. Finally, we recommend plugging your guitar in and using some reverb to enhance the percussive sounds.